Heretofore, column-mounted vehicle transmission shift control assemblies have generally included arcuate-shaped gate brackets having the various forward, reverse, and park recesses or detents formed along a side edge thereof. For example, see Carlstrom U.S. Pat. No. 4,934,208, and Dzioba U.S. Pat. No. 4,821,605. In such an arrangement, the gate and mounting bracket are separate stampings, requiring additional design tolerances and costs. Additionally, the curved gate, when heat treated, may become distorted, making tolerances difficult to hold.
Floor-mounted shift control assemblies are known to embody planar gate brackets, with detents formed on an edge of an opening formed therethrough, for example: Kubota et al U.S. Pat. No. 4,365,522; Ishizuki et al U.S. Pat. No. 5,079,966; DeVogelaere et al U.S. Pat. No. 4,474,085; Roble U.S. Pat. No. 5,035,156; and Osborn U.S. Pat. No. 4,304,112.
A floor-mounted shift control assembly embodying a planar gate bracket, with detents formed on an outer edge thereof, is disclosed in Kato et al U.S. Pat. No. 4,078,447.